All-state football: Seven from Register area on 1st team

Class A state runner-up Grundy Center led teams in the Grundy Register coverage area with six total selections to the Iowa Print Sports Writers Association’s all-state football teams, released Tuesday morning.

Thirteen total Register-area players received all-state recognition from four different teams, with seven selected as first-teamers.

Zach Opheim earned a first-team spot at running back after rushing for 1,827 yards and 28 touchdowns this season. He is a two-time all-state selection.

Offensive lineman Kolby Muller and defensive lineman Wes Willis also earned first-team honors. The two-way linemen blocked for an offense that gained 4,457 yards of total offense, including 3,294 rushing yards. Defensively, Willis made 40 solo tackles and 53.5 total stops with 12 quarterback sacks and 22.5 total tackles for loss. Muller had 14 solo tackles, 26 total stops, with two sacks and 7.5 total tackles for loss. Muller and Willis are back-to-back first-team picks for the Spartans.

Spartan quarterback Logan Knaack was a first-team pick at offensive utility. Knaack completed 67 passes for 1,129 yards and 15 touchdowns with four interceptions, and rushed for 1,193 yards and 18 touchdowns. Knaack was also Grundy Center’s punter, averaging 39.5 yards per punt on 20 boots. Knaack was also a first-teamer last season.

Grundy Center third-team selections included Brayden Sawyer at offensive lineman and Trevor McMartin at defensive lineman. In addition to contributions on the line of scrimmage, Sawyer made 46 solo tackles and 73.5 total tackles; McMartin had 14 total stops, 26 total tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss with two quarterback sacks.

Four all-staters for Dike-New Hartford / The Wolverines had three first-teamers and one third-team pick on the Class 1A team.

Offensive lineman Jacob Leohr earned first-team recognition. Leohr blocked for a D-NH offense that accumulated 2,715 yards of total offense, including 1,622 yards on the ground; D-NH's offense averaged 301 yards per game this season. Leohr also had 13 solo tackles (21 total), including 0.5 quarterback sacks and 1.5 tackles for loss.

Kaleb Brouwer got a first-team slot at linebacker. Brouwer ranked fifth in total tackles in 1A with 92 stops, including 63 solo tackles and six tackles for a loss with two interceptions. Brouwer also rushes 22 times for 70 yards and four scores and added eight catches for 88 yards and two touchdowns.

Dane Fuller was chosen as a first-team defensive back. Fuller made 31.5 total tackles, including 26 solo stops, and one tackle for a loss. Fuller also made one interception. On offense, Fuller caught 35 passes for 561 yards and seven touchdowns.

D-NH running back Drew Larsen was a third-team selection. Larsen rushed for 1,273 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Three selected to 8-man team / Gladbrook-Reinbeck’s Keagan Giesking and Auston Wittgreve join AGWSR’s Jaden Penning on the 8-man all-state team.

Giesking was a second-team pick at running back, running for 2,179 yards and 32 touchdowns. Giesking also made 49 solo tackles, 73.5 total stops, and had 12.5 tackles for loss. It is Giesking’s third time on the all-state team in his four years with the Rebels.

Wittgreve earned a third-team slot at offensive lineman. The Rebels ran for a total of 2,874 yards this season. Wittgreve had 30 solo tackles and eight total tackles for loss.

Penning, selected as a second-team kick/punt returner, averaged 24.5 yards per return this season. Penning was also the Cougars’ leading rusher, with 1,635 yards and 25 touchdowns in his senior season.